Live in Brittany

A night of vivacious acoustic music

20th Anniversary Concert: Live in Brittany

(Loftus Music)US: 21 May 2013UK: 20 May 2013

The Celtic Fiddle Festival is a traditional band comprised of three fine musicians: Christian Lemaitre (formerly of Brittany’s landmark group Kornog), André Brunet, from Quebecois band De Temps Antan, and legendary Irish fiddler Kevin Burke. Together, with guitarist Nicolas Quémener, the band explores the various traditions of Irish, French and Canadian Celtic music. Recorded in 2013, Live in Brittany is a feast for aficionados of traditional music.

Ripping through a set that includes Irish tunes such as “The Trip to Durrow / The Abbey Reel / The Maid Behind the Bar”, French dance tunes in the form of the “Ronds de St Vincent”, and gentle airs a la “When Angels Breathe”, the band displays consistently high levels of musicianship and control. Modern compositions such as “The Station Master’s Waltz” spice up the performance as well, as does guitarist Quémener’s solo turn on “Le Lézard Périgourdin”. This is a lively set of tunes, but be aware that these are purely instrumental, and they may comprise more straight-up fiddle music than some people may wish to hear in a single sitting.

20th Anniversary Concert: Live in Brittany

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DAVID MAINE is a novelist and essayist. His books include The Preservationist (2004), Fallen (2005), The Book of Samson (2006), Monster, 1959 (2008) and An Age of Madness (2012). He has contributed to The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Esquire.com and NPR.com, among other outlets. He is a lifelong music obsessive whose interests range from rock to folk to hip-hop to international to blues. He currently lives in western Massachusetts, where he works in human services. Catch up with his blog, The Party Never Stops, at davidmaine.blogspot.com, or become his buddy on Facebook (or Twitter or Google+ or whatever you prefer) to keep up with reviews and other developments.